Jae Eun put the kettle onto the red hot stove coils. Old westerns blared on the television box in the other room. The vhs tape’s black and white static crackled at the top of the screen, warping the washed out images of flat saloon buildings and arid desert. Eun opened the cupboard above her head and pulled down an old cookie tin, one of the round kinds that usually hold everything but the original cookies themselves. It was one of the tins that as she placed it on the wooden counter she wondered if it had actually ever even held cookies. There were certainly cookies of all sorts, vanilla swirls and raspberry jam topped tarts, printed around the metal tin and on the lid. Yet as she opened it up there was only an array of loose tea bags inside. She pulled one out and unravelled the strung tag, placing it inside her favorite tea cup. The one that looked as if a witch had a truly awful disagreement with a bear and cursed him into the shape of a small ceramic mug. However it was most likely just a mass-produced ceramic novelty mug from before Jisang was erected. Eun though that it was truly a miracle that it had not fallen to pieces in all this time. However on the other hand she kept it in her possession for some fifty odd years now, and Eun took careful attention to her things. She thought that if the mug was in fact a bewiched bear, than she was certainly glad that she had taken such care with him. Perhaps if one day she did come in contact with a witch of some kind then maybe she could bring him back. Yes, she would have to go buy another tea mug. Which would most likely have to be an old plastic cup at this point, and plastic wouldn’t keep her Earl Grey as warm for as long as this little bear certainly does. But perhaps the bear would stay with her and respect her for how wonderfully she had looked after him all these years.
Eun looked around her apartment. It was one very narrow room. The door that cannot swing completely open because of the couch. The tube blaring the whistling tune indicating the start of a new episode, sitting on a three legged stool with enough room for her feet between it and the couch. Her half moon table separating the living from the kitchen, and on her other side her wonderful balcony, overlooking the dark void above the smog below..
Well I certainly would have to get a bigger apartment.
She thought that if the bear truly did come alive and then did in fact want to live with her because of all of her kindness, than this place just wouldn’t do. Perhaps the bear would even be her muse and inspire her to paint again. No, that would be silly. She would just have to work a bit harder soldering the contacts of old clocks back together.
Eun brought her tea over to her table and set it down on a coffee colored doily. She adjusted her chair on the side of the table to face the balcony, as there was not enough room to tuck it under the table with her sitting on it. She sat down and took a sip of her tea.
Still too hot.
She looked down at her calloused wrinkled fingers on her right hand. How come people still bought the clocks anywho, she contemplated for the first time in many years. There isn’t much place to go without knowing the time.
She listened to the old accent of the cowboys on the television behind her. It’s not like you could be out in the desert now a days and wonder what time to be home for supper.
A knock on the door.
Eun turned over the back of the chair to the door, not recognizing what she had heard.
A second knock, much quicker now.
Eun was awfully surprised. She stood up and moved the chair out of her path. SHe moved the bear mug and it doily away from the edge of the table and into the center, and then walked past the tv to the door.
Before she could reach the knob the door knob rattled and the door flew open, it slammed into the couch leaving another small white scuff. A little girl with fire red hair and a bulky green jacket scooted in through the opening and closed the door behind her.
Jae Eun was in shock but stammered out, “Child what are you doing in here, you are in the wrong home!”
The girl did not seem to hear Eun’s words, but instead latched the bolt and climbed up onto the couch. She leaned against the door and was just tall enough now to see out of the peephole.
“Little miss this is not your home to come barging into!” Eun tried again, but without pulling her eye away from the hallway, the little redhead waved a hand wildly back at Eun.
Eun tried to make her way to the door, “Please child listen now.”
The little girl spun her head around and brought a finger up to her lips. “Shh” she puffed, far too close to Eun’s face.
They stood in silence for a minute until the little girl broke from the door and walked over Eun’s finely fluffed couch cushions to drop down on the other side of the old woman. She pulled a small box out of the inside of her coat pocket and held it in front of her.
The box was yellowed plastic with a small round screen on its front, a dark void of blank pixels.. She looked up from the box and locked eyes with Eun, “Explain this to me please.”
Eun was a bit dumbfounded. She walked back past the small child and oriented the chair back towards the door this time. There was no other chair so she offered the arm of the couch, and the girl sat. She placed the box on the table.
Memories came flooding back. Eun remembered her mother of whom she had not thought of in many years. She thought of the many days they would sit on her threadbare oriental carpet and listen to the wonderful noises and melodies the elder synth would play them. How her mother's fingers would flow over the keypad and return her own music.
“This is from a long time ago. People used them to speak to the machine at the very core of what Mantra Corp has built.”
“So it is a sort of translator? To speak to computers?”
“In a way it is to tell them your hopes and your worries.”
“It is like how some pray to God?”
Eun found it beautiful how wise a child could be. She offered the cup of tea to the fire haired girl, “I suppose so.”
Eun looked around her apartment. It was one very narrow room. The door that cannot swing completely open because of the couch. The tube blaring the whistling tune indicating the start of a new episode, sitting on a three legged stool with enough room for her feet between it and the couch. Her half moon table separating the living from the kitchen, and on her other side her wonderful balcony, overlooking the dark void above the smog below..
Well I certainly would have to get a bigger apartment.
She thought that if the bear truly did come alive and then did in fact want to live with her because of all of her kindness, than this place just wouldn’t do. Perhaps the bear would even be her muse and inspire her to paint again. No, that would be silly. She would just have to work a bit harder soldering the contacts of old clocks back together.
Eun brought her tea over to her table and set it down on a coffee colored doily. She adjusted her chair on the side of the table to face the balcony, as there was not enough room to tuck it under the table with her sitting on it. She sat down and took a sip of her tea.
Still too hot.
She looked down at her calloused wrinkled fingers on her right hand. How come people still bought the clocks anywho, she contemplated for the first time in many years. There isn’t much place to go without knowing the time.
She listened to the old accent of the cowboys on the television behind her. It’s not like you could be out in the desert now a days and wonder what time to be home for supper.
A knock on the door.
Eun turned over the back of the chair to the door, not recognizing what she had heard.
A second knock, much quicker now.
Eun was awfully surprised. She stood up and moved the chair out of her path. SHe moved the bear mug and it doily away from the edge of the table and into the center, and then walked past the tv to the door.
Before she could reach the knob the door knob rattled and the door flew open, it slammed into the couch leaving another small white scuff. A little girl with fire red hair and a bulky green jacket scooted in through the opening and closed the door behind her.
Jae Eun was in shock but stammered out, “Child what are you doing in here, you are in the wrong home!”
The girl did not seem to hear Eun’s words, but instead latched the bolt and climbed up onto the couch. She leaned against the door and was just tall enough now to see out of the peephole.
“Little miss this is not your home to come barging into!” Eun tried again, but without pulling her eye away from the hallway, the little redhead waved a hand wildly back at Eun.
Eun tried to make her way to the door, “Please child listen now.”
The little girl spun her head around and brought a finger up to her lips. “Shh” she puffed, far too close to Eun’s face.
They stood in silence for a minute until the little girl broke from the door and walked over Eun’s finely fluffed couch cushions to drop down on the other side of the old woman. She pulled a small box out of the inside of her coat pocket and held it in front of her.
The box was yellowed plastic with a small round screen on its front, a dark void of blank pixels.. She looked up from the box and locked eyes with Eun, “Explain this to me please.”
Eun was a bit dumbfounded. She walked back past the small child and oriented the chair back towards the door this time. There was no other chair so she offered the arm of the couch, and the girl sat. She placed the box on the table.
Memories came flooding back. Eun remembered her mother of whom she had not thought of in many years. She thought of the many days they would sit on her threadbare oriental carpet and listen to the wonderful noises and melodies the elder synth would play them. How her mother's fingers would flow over the keypad and return her own music.
“This is from a long time ago. People used them to speak to the machine at the very core of what Mantra Corp has built.”
“So it is a sort of translator? To speak to computers?”
“In a way it is to tell them your hopes and your worries.”
“It is like how some pray to God?”
Eun found it beautiful how wise a child could be. She offered the cup of tea to the fire haired girl, “I suppose so.”